Gracey took about 46% of the vote in the general election to Tave’s 26%. The two candidates led a field of five, but since neither got the required 50%, the race will be decided by a runoff vote on June 10. Polls will be open this Saturday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Early voting in the election ended on Tuesday. According to The Dallas Morning News, some 300 people cast ballots at District 3’s only early-voting location.
Tave is a retired teacher who has lived in the district for more than three decades. He ran for the seat twice before, in 2015 and 2017, losing to Thomas both times. Thomas has endorsed Tave’s opponent. Both Tave and Gracey say that District 3 residents have been left out of the loop on certain decisions by their current Council member and hope to work more on community outreach if elected.
Gracey has experience serving the city in several capacities over the years, but this is his first time running for City Council. Gracey was a debt manager for the city in 2005, eventually taking over as assistant director of Dallas’ economic development office. Gracey has also served on the city’s Public Facility Corp. for District 3. Now, he’s an executive pastor at Concord Church.
“I really want to move from being a district to moving to a community, where, collectively, we’re all helping and educating." – Zarin Gracey, District 3 candidate
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On top of increasing community engagement, Gracey wants to see more funding for local law enforcement and first responders. He also wants to work on keeping housing in the district affordable and ensuring that residents have access to city services.
Tave said that among the district's many needs is a focus on rebuilding trust in District 3’s leadership. “My top priority will be to convince people through my action and communication that the district belongs to them,” he said. “There’s city of Dallas business that must be taken care of, but I will not put the city of Dallas business ahead of meeting the needs and concerns [of residents], to whatever degree possible.”
He said Dallas needs to grow, and he’s not opposed to that. “The thing is, there’s been too much so-called growth without the input of the citizens of District 3, and some of them have become very angry and bitter toward the City Council person and others who have supposedly represented us,” Tave said.
He said he wants more affordable housing and safer communities in his district. When it comes to crime, though, he doesn't think police are the sole answer to reducing it. “Safe communities, it’s not always wrapped up in having a million police officers on the street or the beat,” he said. “Police cannot stop crime or prevent it. In some degrees they might. But crime is very spontaneous in many regards.”
That’s why he wants resources for people in need before it becomes a police matter. He said this can be provided with the help of other leadership sources in the district, including in churches and schools.
As a former teacher, he said he’d also like to provide more opportunities for young people in the district, such as cultural events in the community where they could see the Dallas Symphony Orchestra perform or visit the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.
He said he opposes a plan approved by City Council last year to turn an old hospital in the district into a housing project for the homeless. “Somebody made a decision and they did not include the people,” he said.
Gracey also wants to revisit the plan, but often touts the endorsement of Thomas, who approved the project, Tave said. This is a contradiction in Gracey’s campaigning, Tave said.
“He always says, ‘Well I’m against this, I’m against that,’” Tave said. “But then, he’s always under the arms and embrace of the sitting council person. People are not taken by that. They know what the problem is and the fact that he is endorsed by the sitting council person does not sit well with many, many, many folks in District 3.”
Gracey said one of the things that prompted him to run is he lives in Capella Park, an area of the district that’s been fighting off warehouse development over the years. “That just wasn’t what many of us signed up for when we moved into the neighborhood,” he said.
He said something that differentiates him from his opponent is his experience. “I really want to move from being a district to moving to a community, where, collectively, we’re all helping and educating,” Gracey said. “I’m not going to pretend to know everything there is to know, but there are some people who’ve been working in their areas and their neighborhoods that do, and we want to make sure they have the space to help educate and inform their neighbors.”“My top priority will be to convince people through my action and communication that the district belongs to them." – Joe Tave, District 3 candidate
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On the criticism over Thomas’ endorsement, Gracey said, “The message that I would send out there is I know that trust is something that’s very hard to gain, and as a leader you have to earn that trust.” But he wants people to stay open-minded about his candidacy with or without Thomas’ endorsement.
“With Casey [Thomas] there are some people in the district that didn’t like him and they were very verbal about that,” Gracey said. “And I’ve had people say they wouldn’t look me up just because he was endorsing me. And I’ve been able to have those conversations with them to help them understand that ‘Yes, he’s endorsing me along with many other people,’” Gracey said.
But he said he has the portfolio and heart for service necessary to represent District 3 on City Council. “That’s who I believe God has called me to be and that’s what I want to do,” he said. “I’m just saying, give me a chance to show you that I’m a true servant of the community and the only objective I have is to make the district better and to turn our district into a community.”